January

Currently in my fourth year in The Netherlands, with four bicycles under my belt, and having photographed more than 1,000 bicycles, I’ve come to develop a pretty good notion of what’s the best second-hand city bicycle to acquire.

An omafiets on the run in Amsterdam

Hell, you’re going to be riding it almost every day, in harsh weather, busy traffic, big puddles of water, not just cycle paths but also brick roads. And you are also going to park it in busy and frantic places, with a small amount of time to find a good spot, and when you are back, there’s a high probability that someone stole your bike.

Fortunately, time and the natural survival of the fittest answers the quest for the best city bicycle. Look around you, what do the Dutch cycle every-day? A trendy fixie? No way. A powerful mountain bike? I don’t think so. A